As we look forward to the new year, we've also reflected on the old, and rediscovered some of the great events, innovations, interviews and debates that 2008 had to offer. For the next week, we will be sharing our picks for the Worldchanging team's best work from the last 12 months. Come back each day for a new collection of posts on topics from climate change to transportation, energy to health and society.

Today's Topic: Energy

Image credit: Green Plug

We read numerous reports this year making the compelling argument that the world's energy markets are slowly shifting to take advantage of what we get for free from nature: wind, sun and heat. In 2008, we saw the markets for wind power, solar energy and geothermal heat starting to compete with dirtier, harsher, more (truly) expensive sources of energy, and we were encouraged by predictions for a more dynamic, interactive, smarter grid. And we told many stories about the smart entrepreneurs who will help push these game-changing innovations along. Below is a collection of our best posts on energy from 2008:

Green Buildings and Smart Grids
By Patrick Mazza
April 14

Gasification Experimenter's Kit
Jeremy Faludi
May 29

Decoding the World's Best Energy Policies
By Kathryn Cooper
July 8

Human Ingenuity at the World Wind Energy Summit
By Kathryn Cooper
July 19

Staking the Vampire: The Future of Recharging
By Glenn Fleishman
August 11

The 3TIER Tour
Sarah Kuck
Oct. 8

Reader Report: Solar Innovation in Costa Rica
By Max Levin
Oct. 23

Pop!Tech: Rice Power to the People With Husk Power Systems
Robert Katz
Oct. 28

Smart Garage: An Integration Revolution
Julia Levitt
Oct. 30

What Would An Optimistic Forecast for Renewable Energy Look Like?
Sarah Kuck
Nov 13

This piece is part of our Year in Review series. Use the following links to view more of our favorites from 2008:

Best in Climate Change
Best in Business
Best in Cities